24 Aug 2008 In 2008, it was his first time going to the Olympics. Bryant scored 20 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, along with six assists, as Team USA defeated Spain 118–107 in the gold medal game of the 2008 Summer Olympics on August 24, 2008. He averaged 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting .462 from the field in eight Olympic contests

5 Jun 2008 The Lakers were back in NBA Finals, as top seed against the top seed Boston Celtics in East. The Lakers appeared in the Finals for the first time since 2004 and a record 29th time overall. The Celtics appeared in the Finals for the first time since 1987 and second-best 20th time overall. The Lakers lost the series 2-4 to Celtics.

16 Mar 2007 - 23 Mar 2007 Kobe Bryant's 4 game 50-point streak, 2 of which were 60 point games is one of the best scoring runs by a player in NBA (other than Wilt Chamberlain). Take into context that before this streak the Lakers had lost 7 games in a row and their record stood barely above .500 at 33-32. Fan were wondering if the Lakers would make the playoffs and overall perception by the fans and the league was that they were going down a very slipper slope. Then this happened:

When Bryant came into the league, he couldn't take the No. 33 because it had been retired seven years earlier by the Lakers in honor of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bryant's first high school number was 24 before he switched to 33. After the Lakers' season ended, Bryant said on TNT that he wanted 24 as a rookie, but it was unavailable, as was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

22 Jan 2006 22 Jan 2006 : The Los Angeles Lakers welcomed the Toronto Raptors to Staples Center for a regular-season matchup. It would become the night that Kobe Bryant scored the second-most points in an NBA game and set a Laker record (and his career record) for points in a game when he dropped 81 points in 42 minutes of play in a 122-104 victory.

15 Jun 2004 The 2004 NBA Finals were between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons. Although the Lakers were the heavy favorite, the Pistons won the series four games to one to win their first title since 1990 and their fifth overall (three NBA Championships, two NBL Championships). Piston point guard Chauncey Billups was named the Finals MVP of the series. The series was noted for the perceived underdog, the Pistons, dominating a Laker team that had four future Hall of Famers.